Adult Culex quinquefasciatus, maintained from emergence on sugar, were fed blood and then fed either sugar (control) or water (starving) for 7 days. Analysis of ovaries and egg rafts for protein, lipids and glycogen showed that only glycogen levels were diminished by starvation. Eggs from both control and starving females, however, were equally viable. Nonbloodfed starving females lived longer than bloodfed starving females. These results suggest that the blood meal maximizes fertility, not longevity.